Anticipating the construction industry in Arizona to gain footing in 2012 and beyond, Volvo Rents continues to expand its statewide footprint with acquisition of Arizona Rentals, a four location construction-equipment rental company with stores in Eloy, Miami, Thatcher and Tucson.
The move comes on the heels of the company’s October 2011 acquisition of Papé Rents, another construction equipment rental company with a single location in Phoenix.
“Economic recovery is nearly impossible without recovery in construction,” said Michael Crouch, vice president of business development for Volvo Rents. “Our goal is to rebuild a weakened construction market that has left too many jobless, littered the state with incomplete projects and sapped much needed revenue, commerce and customers out of the local economy.”
According to a recent construction industry forecast by McGraw-Hill, construction spending in the Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale marketplace alone is projected to total more than $44 billion between 2012 and 2016. The same forecast also calls for nearly $8 billion in projected construction spending in greater Tucson during the same time period.
In addition to Volvo Rents’ line of Volvo compact equipment – backhoe and skid steer loaders, compact wheel loaders, compact excavators and compaction equipment – the rental centers carry a comprehensive line of essential non-Volvo equipment and tools for the construction, commercial, industrial and homeowner markets. The focus is on daily, weekly and monthly rentals.
“Arizona’s construction industry is showing improvement, but a full recovery will take time,” said Jeff Bleeker, who co-founded Arizona Rentals in 2005 with Lance Evic. “You don’t go from having a heart attack to running a marathon overnight. The problem is on its way to being resolved and we look forward to being a big part of that resolution.”
Bleeker will remain with Volvo Rents in a consultancy role, while Evic will serve as general manager and run all four stores.
While store hours will be Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., the company offers 24-hour service, every day of the week.
Volvo Rents, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Volvo Group, operates 88 rental stores in North America. The company operates a network of company-owned rental stores and franchised rental stores in North America. Each of the North American rental centers offers a comprehensive line of essential equipment for the construction, commercial and industrial markets, as well as an extensive line of Volvo compact excavators, compactors, wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, compaction equipment, and skid steer loaders.